HardwareNov 13, 2026, 2:43 PM UTC·1 min read

Apple's new smart home hub can show household members' messages

Apple's new smart home hub can let people in the same home read each other's messages, and that is only one of the problems dogging its launch.

A smart home hub device from Apple sitting on a shelf in a living room. — Image: Antyweb

Apple's new smart home hub is meant to run the connected devices in your house. Early on, though, the most talked-about thing is that it can let other people in the home read your messages.

That privacy problem is the headline complaint, but it is not the only one. The launch has been described as moderately successful, with trouble also reported around Siri and around which apps are available on the device.

Is Apple's smart home hub a privacy risk?

Based on what has been reported so far, messages are the weak spot. A shared device sits in a shared space, so whatever it displays or reads out can reach anyone nearby. For a family or flatmates, that matters more than any spec sheet.

The details of how the message access works are not clear from the material available, so it is not possible to say which settings, if any, limit it.

Siri and apps are also holding it back

Siri is the other sore point, and the app selection is thinner than buyers might expect. Both matter because a home hub lives or dies on voice control and on what you can actually do with it.

For now, anyone thinking of buying one should weigh the privacy question first, especially in a home with several people.

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Tags:applesmart homeprivacysirihome hub